#APS2020 – how good PIM makes for a hoppy CHILI publish

Fabian Prudhomme, Global Vice President of Sales & Alliances

For the fifth year running, PIM (product information management) innovator Akeneo became the talk of the town as its annual summit descended on the trendy Espace Clacquesin brewery on the outskirts of Paris - the home of the popular Clacquesin aperitif - and invited over 500 partners and customers to discuss its vision for PIMs in the booming e-commerce market (and enjoy two days of breakout sessions, networking, and good food).

Having helped Akeneo transform the graphic assets of its PIMs using Smart Templates, CHILI publish and partner Induxx were in attendance and we’re pleased to announce this was one of the most insightful and rewarding shows we’ve had the pleasure of attending.

From the enthusiasm of CEO Fred de Gombert’s opening message to the valuable breakout sessions held across both days, we left the summit incredibly excited for what’s next in the world of e-commerce and how Smart Templates will fit into that vision.

Here are three biggest takeaways from #APS2020.

1. Great food and even better company are always a winner

This being its fifth summit, Akeneo clearly knows a thing or two about throwing an industry seminar. Of course, if you’re going to pick one of the most historically significant breweries and distilleries in Paris, you’ve got to do that backdrop justice with an event to remember.

With hundreds of delegates under one roof, the PIM specialist understands that setting the mood really makes an impact on the conversations and the burgeoning partnerships that emerge from these kinds of professional gatherings.

Thankfully, Akeneo was the ideal host, marrying a mixture of insightful breakout sessions from a variety of its partners and customers with some artisan foods in the expo area and some memorable evening activities - such as some fun France discovery casino games - and a laid-back awards ceremony.

This year’s seminar was, rather fittingly, all about brewing and there were plenty of ideas and new conversations that were percolating in the networking sessions throughout each day.

2. Teamwork always makes the dream work

Coming together to share ideas and create beneficial solutions is one of the main reasons CHILI publisher and Induxx - a specialist partner experienced in delivering Akeneo’s PIM into a variety of industry verticals - began collaborating in the first place.

PIMs are designed to scale and grow with the demands of a business - be it a growing product range and delivery platform right through to a larger repository of promotional materials - and the same goes for our symbiosis with both Induxx and Akeneo. It’s all about adding the right ingredients to the mix and brewing up a product experience that continues to deliver results.

Customers have more choice than ever when it comes buying online, so that means PIM and PXM users have to consider how to stand apart and reach the right customers.

We left #APS2020 with a renewed confidence in the mantra that collaboration is a powerful tool for success. And with so many exciting new features and adjustments available in Akeneo PIM 4.0 - the latest updated version - it’s clearly an exciting time to share ideas and brew some plans for the future of e-commerce. And a rather fitting theme when you consider our SPICY beer portal, which enables customers to test out the graphics-driven flexibility of Smart Templates in an enclosed sandbox environment.

3. The power of the hive mind in PXM

That collaboration creates a hive mind - a shared collective of progressive thinking and daring ideas that are helping drive product information management forward in 2020.

For Akeneo at #APS2020, it’s that kind of bold ideation that’s leading the expansive growth of PXM - and the role PIM plays in that process. PXM is all about enhancing the customer experience, and seeing how Smart Templates from CHILI publish are helping shape Akeneo’s vision for the ever-changing landscape of e-commerce. In development, innovation comes to life. So of course we had to be there to soak up all that inspiration among our peers.

It was also interesting to see how print is viewed within the overall journey of PIM and PXM. Some might think print is slow and boring, as one slide illustrated. We beg to differ - the way CHILI publish has integrated into PIM and e-commerce markets with Akeneo proves that print marketing efforts through templatization have been highly lucrative and efficient. Made for some interesting conversations during our booth demos, I can assure you. This kind of exchange and information rectification is what we thrive on.

In short, inspiring event, team Akeneo.

With so many interesting topics covered at the show - ranging from growing trends to powerful use cases - there’s clearly a lot to be excited for in the months and years to come.

Want to learn more about Smart Templates and how they can optimize your PIM potential? Drop us a line.